said, “I touch you and you got cooties.”
Carner said, “He’s bringing that bag to Evelyn Schmidt.”
“So? She ain’t touched it yet.” Omsted took his hand from Chuck’s shoulder and wiped it on the front of his sweatshirt.
Something squealed in the dark, making Carner jump, and Spinelli slid to a stop on his bike. He was wearing a high-school letter jacket, red with white leather sleeves, and his blond hair was greased and combed into a curl over his forehead. He flicked his cigarette butt at Omsted’s feet and asked, “Where’s your brother?”
Rusch said, “Home practicing his swing.”
Carner giggled.
Spinelli said, “Shut up, you two.”
Rusch said, “Make me.”
Spinelli said, “I don’t make shit.”
Omsted walked behind Spinelli’s bike, snickering. He tapped his toe against Spinelli’s back tire and said, “I hear Putzie almost wet his pants when your sister gave him that note this morning.”
Spinelli said, “I asked you a question.”
“I wasn’t listening.”
“Where the hell’s your brother?”
Omsted shrugged and said, “Probably out looking for you.”
“Shit.” Spinelli shook his head at the group, spotted Chuck for the first time and said, “Who the hell are you?”
Chuck said, “Nobody you know.”
“Good. Let’s keep it that way,” Spinelli said and stood up on the pedals of his bike.
Omsted said, “See you at the park.”
“You stay the hell out of there,” Spinelli said.
Rusch said, “It’s a free park.”
“Not tonight it ain’t. You go near that park, you’ll get your asses kicked.” Spinelli slammed his feet down on the pedals, his back tire shot gravel, and he took off down the hill.
Rusch dived down by Omsted’s feet and came up with Spinelli’s cigarette. He shoved it in his mouth and drew hard, but it had already burned out. He tossed it back to the curb and said, “Let’s get out of here.”
Omsted waved over his shoulder and said, “Later, squirt.”
“Where you guys going?”
Omsted said, “Out.”
Rusch said, “And don’t try to follow us or I’ll kick your ass.”
“I ain’t afraid of you.”
Rusch said, “You will be.”
Carner giggled.
Omsted said, “You get any licorice, save it for me.” He rapped his knuckles on Rusch’s head, hollered that the last one down the hill was an asshole, and the three of them took off running. Halfway down the hill they started walking again, punching each other and laughing until they got to Ontario, then they ran screaming past Evelyn’s house and disappeared in the dark under the trees near Erie Street.
Dale’s house was next to Chuck’s old house, on the same block as the Schmidts’. Chuck walked down the hill until he was almost to Ontario; then he ran past Evelyn’s house and didn’t stop until he got to Dale’s. Dale was on the front steps in a superman costume, the mask tipped up on his head. A fat kid in a Spiderman costume was sitting on the steps behind him.
“Who’s that?” Chuck asked.
The fat kid said, “I told ya he wouldn’t recognize me.”
He tipped his mask back. It was Putzie’s brother, Little Lee.
“What’s he doing here?”
Dale said, “My ma says we gotta ditch David.”
Little Lee grinned and said, “So he asked me instead.”
“Well, I’m unasking you.” Chuck shoved him off the side of the steps. Lee fell on his back in the grass and cried out.
“Look, it’s a talking blob.”
Dale said, “Leave him alone.”
Chuck put his mask on. “Anybody sees us, you tell ’em the farmer’s with you.”
Dale pulled his mask down over his face.
Little Lee said, “I live in the same house you used to.”
Chuck said, “Yeah, but I moved when I heard the farmers were coming to town.”
They skipped Little Lee’s house because Chuck said he wasn’t wasting his time on cheap farmer candy.
Little Lee said, “Banana chews ain’t cheap.”
“Maybe not to a farmer,” Chuck said, and ran ahead of them to the Pflugers’.
Mr. Pfluger was a beekeeper, so the Pflugers gave away Bit-O-Honeys every year. Chuck hollered, “Trick or treat,” and when Little Lee and Dale came up on the porch behind him, Chuck stepped in front of Little Lee so it looked like Chuck and Dale were together and Little Lee was by himself. Mrs. Pfluger wore a black and yellow bonnet with antennas. She said any monsters that wanted treats from her were going to have to show their faces.
Chuck pushed up his mask and grinned.
Mrs. Pfluger dug a Bit-O-Honey out of her apron pocket and said it was good to see him in the neighborhood again. He thanked her and jumped off the porch.
When Little Lee lifted his mask she said, “I don’t think I’ve seen you before.” He told her he was Leroy Van Vonderan from the house next door. Mrs. Pfluger said, “That’s right, the farm family,” and gave him his candy bar.
On the sidewalk, Chuck told Little Lee to keep his mask down and if anyone asked who he was to say he was the mystery guest. Dale told Little Lee he could say whatever he wanted. Chuck said, “Remember that when the kids at school hear you been out trick-or-treating with farmers.”
The house next to the Pflugers’ was Evelyn’s. Dale said they should cut across the street and go back up Ontario, but Chuck said if they ran past fast enough they could cut through Legion Park to the Kolbs’ and nobody’d see them.
Little Lee said, “What if David’s looking out the window?”
Chuck said, “We’re wearing masks, stupid.”
“He was with us when we bought ’em, stupid,” Dale said.
Chuck said, “I ain’t so stupid I hang out with farmers.”
Little
